Dog Grooming Question

[JanetGroene]

I half heard something on the news about a rise in skin cancer problems in dogs that are clipped. Anyone here have info on pro and con of haircuts for our Belgian sheep dog?

[gonesail]

we kept our lhasa apso cut short in Florida and he did end up with skin lesions which i believe were skin cancer. but the heat required the short hair .. there was no alternative. i kept him and me out of the direct sunlight as much as possible and under the bimini when underway. i think a dog with black or dark hair might do better then one with white or tan

[monte]

We cut our German sheppards very short a few months ago. The Caribbean heat was a bit much for a dog from the north of France, but the main problem was swimming every day it takes a long time to dry at night which isn't good for his skin. Now he's much happier. Added bonus is hardly any hair to sweep up anymore

[cabo_sailor]

Oh my god!! He's naked and his head looks REALLY big. 😹


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[monte]

Hahaha yes, it's a pity, he was much more handsome before

But happier now

[cabo_sailor]

Now that is one handsome Shepard. Some of my favorite friends from childhood were Shepards, I miss them all. But I must confess our American Eskimo here in FL gets a similar trim for summer comfort


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[CalChica]

Skin cancer in dogs is a very real concern. We have a light haired/skinned dog that just underwent surgery to remove lesions and a cancerous tumor resulting from sun damage. We now keep sunscreen on the most sensitive areas (belly and top of nose), put a shirt on her or try to get her to lay in the shade. She loves the sun so it will be an ongoing battle.

[Neeltje]

I asked the vet about shearing Mozart (a Newfie mix) some 10 years back, and he didn't think it was such a good idea. He explained that unlike humans, dogs don't perspire. They dissipate heat through their mouth and paws. Their skin is more sensitive to sunlight than ours is, simply because it doesn't get hydrated by sweat. He told me that heavily coated dogs (like Newfoundlands) will usually shed their undercoat when living in hot climes, but keep their topcoats to protect themselves against the sun.

Mozart was born in Florida, and when I adopted him, he had no undercoat whatsoever. His topcoat looked more like human hair than anything else. When we moved to the Pyrenees for 6 years, his undercoat grew so thick that I had to buy him a bigger collar. We've been back in Florida for 3 years now, and the undercoat has totally disappeared again.

I think the best thing for a hot dog is to keep a kiddy pool with a couple of inches of water in it at his/her disposal. Mozart hates water (go figure), but loves to lay down in his pool (complete with Sunbrella) every half hour or so when he's outside in the Spring/Summer/Fall heat.

Jacques

[TOT]

I hear the concern on sun damage loud and clear but try having a Spoodle in Singapore as they don't lose any hair.

Toby changed dramatically once he arrived in the tropics and would struggle badly between haircuts.

Trim where required but avoid direct sunlight whenever possible.




SV TOT
Wayne 😃